Dewar's Profile

Blended Scotch Whisky

One of the classic blends, Dewar’s has retained its reputation as an accessible, smooth Scotch while modernising its range in recent years. At its core is Dewar’s White Label, which delivers the brand’s signature soft honey, vanilla and floral flavours, although 12, 18 and Dewar’s Signature expressions are also available, the latter providing more complex spiced toffee, dried fruits and coconut notes.

Production type

Blended Scotch

Dewar's History

The story of the Dewar family and their eponymous whisky business is one of entrepreneurialism, creativity and sheer boldness. It begins in 1846 with John Dewar, who opened a wine and spirits shop at 111 High Street in Perth. The premises remained in family ownership for the next 50 years, becoming the place of work for many of John and wife Jane Gow’s 10 children. Dewar didn’t begin blending his own whisky until the 1860s, when ‘mixture whisky’ was still relatively unknown in the area.

When Dewar passed away in 1880, the business was left in the hands of his sons John Alexander and Thomas Robert (Tommy), who were aged just 24- and 16-years-old at the time. In 1886 the firm was renamed John Dewar & Sons and Tommy took on the role of spreading the word of the business to London and overseas. In 1892 he set out on a two-year journey around the world which was immortalised in the book, A Ramble Round the Globe. His creative and revolutionary marketing techniques (including throwing empty bottles of Dewar’s overboard with reward notes inside for their finders), eventually became legendary.

By the following year business was booming and the company was granted a Royal Warrant from Queen Victoria. The small Tullymet distillery leased by the family could no longer cope with production demands, so it was in 1898 that John Alexander commissioned Aberfeldy distillery in Speyside. The following year, the business released its flagship expression – Dewar’s White Label.

Following Queen Victoria’s death and King Edward VII’s coronation, John Dewar & Sons’ Royal Warrant was renewed – as it has been by every British monarch since – and Tommy Dewar knighted.

Despite the onset of WWI and Prohibition in the US, Dewars’ success continued, and in 1925 the company merged with Distillers Company Ltd to help secure the future of the industry.

The group eventually ended up in the hands of Diageo through a series of mergers, but in 1998 was sold to Bermuda-based rum group Bacardi, along with Bombay Sapphire gin. Bacardi’s first exercise was to see about introducing a packaging update for the brand, as well as establishing a home for it. In 2000 the Dewar’s World of Whisky was opened at Aberfeldy distillery which attracts over 35,000 visitors a year.

With demand for premium Scotch whisky growing worldwide, Bacardi invested $250 million in expanding production capacity at its Glasgow site plus the build of a development of a new maturation facility at Poneil.

The brand made its first venture into ‘flavoured Scotch’ with the introduction of Dewar’s Highlander Honey in 2013, while a second brand makeover was implemented in 2014. A new no-age-statement expression called Scratched Cask was introduced in May 2015.

Timeline

1846
John Dewar opens a wine and spirits shop in Perth

1860s
Dewar begins creating blended whisky

1880
John Dewar passes away

1892
Tommy Dewar begins his journey around the world to establish export markets

1893
John Dewar & Sons receives a Royal Warrant from Queen Victoria

1898
Aberfeldy Distillery opens

1899
Dewar's White Label is created

1902
Tommy Dewar is knighted and the Royal Warrant renewed by King Edward VII

1925
John Dewar & Sons merges with DCL

1980
Dewar's becomes the leading blended Scotch brand in the US

1975
Dewar's Pure Malt is replaced by Glenordie following the success of single malts in the US

1986
DCL is purchased by Guinness for £2.3 billion and renamed United Distillers

1997
United Distillers merges with Grand Metropolitan and is renamed Diageo

1998
The Dewar's brand, along with four Scotch distilleries and Bombay Sapphire gin, is sold to Bacardi for £1.15bn

2000
The Dewar's World of Whisky is opened at Aberfeldy distillery

2007
Bacardi invests $250 million in blending, warehousing and packaging